Ball-pitching device

ABSTRACT

Mounted on a stand or supporting frame is the lower end of a leaf spring, to the upper end of which is attached a handle immediately below which is a ball-holding cup. To a ball adapted to be placed in the cup is connected one end of a cord, the other end of which is attached to a stake driven into the ground between the operator and the batter. In use, the handle is drawn backward and downward by the operator to bend the leaf spring into an arc, and the ball is then placed in the cup. The operator then releases the handle whereupon the force of the leaf spring upon its release pitches the ball toward the batter, who attempts to hit it. Whether he hits it or not, the cord tethered to the stake limits the flight of the ball, prevents loss of the ball and enables its easy recovery and retraction by the batter or operator for another pitch. An annular hand guard around the bat near the hand grip prevents winding of the cord around the batter&#39;&#39;s hands.

United States Patent [191 Borst BALL-PITCHING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Walter Borst, 20919 Thiele Dr., St.

Clair Shores, Mich. 48081 [22] Filed: Aug. 14, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 280,656

[52] US. Cl. 124/7, 273/26 B, 273/26 E [51] Int. Cl A63b 69/40 [58] Field of Search 273/26 R, 29, 95 A, 97 R; 124/16, 17, 7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 302,094 7/1884 Briggs 124/7 307,149 10/1884 Teipel 124/7 2,442,296 5/1948 Lang 273/97 R 702,910 6/1902 Austin et a1. 273/95 A 3,368,541 2/1968 Brink 124/7 3,213,842 10/1965 Laney 124/7 3,623,725 11/1971 Setten, Sr 273/26 E 3,297,321 1/1967 Kuhnes et al. 273/26 E FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 131,563 2/1949 Australia 43/19 [451 Jan. 29, 1974 Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Theatrice Brown Attorney, Agent, or FirmWillis Bugbee [57] ABSTRACT Mounted on a stand or supporting frame is the lower end of a leaf spring, to the upper end of which is at tached a handle immediately below which is a ballholding cup. To a ball adapted to be placed in the cup is connected one end of a cord, the other end of which is attached to a stake driven into the ground between the operator and the batter. In use, the handle is drawn backward and downward by the operator to bend the leaf spring into an arc, and the ball is then placed in the cup. The operator then releases the handle whereupon the force of the leaf spring upon its release pitches the ball toward the batter, who attempts to hit it. Whether he hits it or not, the cord tethered to the stake limits the flight of the ball, prevents loss of the ball and enables its easy recovery and retraction by the batter or operator for another pitch. An annular hand guard around the bat near the hand grip prevents winding of the cord around the batters hands.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures BALL-PITCHING DEVICE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The powerful leaf spring mounted on the stand and carrying the ball-holding cup propels the ball toward the batter at a high speed which closely resembles a pitch carried out by a human pitcher. The ball-holding cup releases the ball easily and effectively without introducing irregularities in the pitch. The annular guard protects the batters hand by preventing the cord from winding around the hand-grip portion of the bat.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, upon a reduced scale, of the ball-pitching device of the invention while in use;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the ball-pitching device of FIG. 1, omitting most of the stand;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the ball used with the ball-pitching device;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of a bat equipped with the annular guard for preventing the cord of the device from winding around the hands of the batter; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-section taken along the line 77 in FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIG. 1 shows a batter B facing the operator 0 of a ball-pitching device, generally designated 10, including a ball 12 tethered by a cord 14 to a stake 16 and about to be pitched by the device toward the batter B who will attempt to hit it by his bat 18 while his hands are protected by an annular hand guard 20 mounted on the bat 18. The ballpitching device 10 is supported upon a supporting structure or stand 22 consisting of a pair of approximately trapezoidal shaped preferably tubular legs 24 joined to one another at their upper ends and extending in opposite directions. Each leg 24 is of maximum width at its lower end and consists of a base portion 26 from the opposite ends of which a pair of elongated side members 28 converge upward toward one another to bends 30 from which arm portions 32 extend vertically upward. The upper ends of the arm portions 32 are bolted to one another by fasteners 34 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which between the arms 32 clamp therebetween a bridge member 36.

Bolted or otherwise secured to the midportion of the bridge member 36 by fasteners 38 is the lower end 40 of an elongated upstanding leaf spring 42, preferably of spring steel, or cold-rolled steel, and disposed substantially vertical the upper end 44 of the leaf spring 42 is secured, by a fastener 46, a handle 48 adapted to be grasped by the hand of the operator 0, and containing a slot 50 receiving the upper end of the leaf spring 44, which is drilled for the passage of the fastener 46. Mounted immediately below the lower end of the handle 48 is a ball-holding cup 52 (FIGS. 2 and 3) having, in the vertical relaxed position of said leaf spring, a forwardly facing approximately hemispherical ballreceiving recess 54 having its axis disposed approximately transverse to the leaf spring 44 but tilted upward at a slight angle relatively thereto and to the integral neck 56 which, together with the leaf spring 44, is

drilled for the passage of a fastener 58. The cup 52 is conveniently made of plastic material.

The ball 12 (FIGS. 4 and 5) is made of any suitable resilient material, preferably synthetic plastic or rubber and consists of a generally spherical shell 60 which is hollow and which has molded therein a groove-like recess 62 crossed by a rib 64 containing a hole 66 for the attachment of the cord 14, which is preferably a nylon cord. The opposite end of the cord 14 is tied or otherwise secured to the stake 16 (FIG. 1) which is conveniently U-shaped with optionally pointed legs 68 interconnected by a curved portion 70 to which the cord 14 is tied. The bat 18 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is of any suitable material such as wood, and has a hand grip portion 72 and an elongated ball-impact portion 74 connected thereto by an intermediate portion 76. The guard 20 is of annular shape formed in two similar but opposite halves 78 and 80 (FIG. 7) provided with chordal bores 82 and counterbores 84 for receiving bolts 86 which interconnect the two halves 78 and 80 around the upper end of the hand grip portion 72. The halves 78 and 80 are also conveniently made of synthetic plastic.

In the use of the ball pitching device 10, the stand 22 is placed in any convenient location on the playing field or lawn and the stake 16 driven into the ground at the end of the cord 14 when stretched to its maximum extent with the ball 12 in the ball-holding cup 52 and the leaf spring 44 flexed to its maximum extent. The batter takes his position at somewhat less than the same distance but in the opposite direction from the stake 16. With the ball in one hand, the operator grasps the handle 48 in the other hand and pulls rearwardly and downwardly upon it so as to flex the leaf spring 42 into an arc of approximately quarter-circular extent. While holding the spring 44 in this position, with the cupshaped recess 54 of the ball-holding cup 52 facing upward, the operator places the ball 12 in the recess 54.

When the batter is ready, he takes his batting stance, whereupon the operator releases the handle 48. As a result, the ball 12 is propelled at high speed through the air in an approximately horizontal trajectory toward the batter, who, if the ball is within the usual zone between his shoulders and his knees, swings at it in the attempt to hit it. If he hits the ball 12, it is presumably propelled toward the operator or in that general direction. When the ball 12 stretches the cord to its maximum extent, the cord 14 halts the flight of the ball 12, which drops to the ground. If, on the other hand, the batter misses the ball, but it passes above his bat 18, it may be caused to follow a spiral path around the axis of the bat, winding up the cord 14 on the portions 74 and 76 of the bat 18. At this time, however, the guard 20 acts as an annular stop to prevent the cord 14 from winding itself around the batters hands grasping the hand grip portion 72 of the bat 18.

This invention is particularly useful where the playing space is very limited, such as in a back yard or on a front lawn. Since the ball 12 is tethered to the stake 16 by the cord 14, it cannot be propelled farther than the length of the cord 14. Accordingly, it cannot be knocked into the street, with consequent danger to the player seeking to retrieve the ball, and it also will be retained within the limits of the playing area.

In the device as actually constructed, it was found suitable to place the axis of the recess 54 of the ballholding cup 52 at an angle of approximately 5 upward relatively to the leaf spring 44. The cup 52 is so secured by the fastener 58 that it may be rotated to any desired position, thereby altering the direction of flight of the ball. The cord 14 and stake 16 were found to be suitably located in front of the ball pitching device that the ball 12 would fly about 1% feet beyond the batter when restrained by the cord 14. The ball 12 can be pitched high, low, or curved, depending on how the spring 44 is pulled back. In case the batter should swing his bat 18 under the ball 12 and the cord 14 should wrap itself around the bat 18, the annular hand guard 20 will halt such winding in the direction of the hands of the batter.

I claim: 1. A ball-pitching device for a batter, comprising an upstanding supporting structure having a base portion adapted to be placed upon a playing area and an upper portion disposed above and remote from said base portion, an elongated substantially straight leaf spring disposed in a substantially vertical position and having a lower portion thereof secured to the upper portion of said supporting structure and extending upward therefrom, and a ball holder secured to the upper portion of said leaf spring, said ball holder having a forwardlyfacing ball'receiving recess therein with its axis disposed approximately transverse to said leaf spring said supporting structure includes a bridge member and a pair of aproximately trapezoidal-shaped legs extending away from one another in opposite directions, said legs having base portions and upwardly converging side portions and upper portions connected to one another, said bridge member extending between said upper portions and connected thereto, said leaf spring being secured to said bridge member.

2. A ball-pitching device, according to claim 1, wherein said ball holder is cup-shaped with said axis of said forwardly-facing recess inclined slightly upward from the perpendicular to said leaf spring.

3. A ball-pitching device, according to claim 1, wherein said upper portions of said legs are disposed at obtuse angles to said lower portions of said legs.

4. A ball-pitching device, according to claim 1, wherein there is provided a ball adapted to be received in said ball holder, a stake adapted to be driven into the ground of the playing area at a locationspaced approximately midway between said supporting structure and the batter, and an elongated flexible cord member connected at one end to said ball and at its other end to said stake. 

1. A ball-pitching device for a batter, comprising an upstanding supporting structure having a base portion adapted to be placed upon a playing area and an upper portion disposed above and remote from said base portion, an elongated substantially straight leaf spring disposed in a substantially vertical position and having a lower portion thereof secured to the upper portion of said supporting structure and extending upward therefrom, and a ball holder secured to the upper portion of said leaf spring, said ball holder having a forwardly-facing ballreceiving recess therein with its axis disposed approximately transverse to said leaf spring said supporting structure includes a bridge member and a pair of aproximately trapezoidal-shaped legs extending away from one another in opposite directions, said legs having base portions and upwardly converging side portions and upper portions connected to one another, said bridge member extending between said upper portions and connected thereto, said leaf spring being secured to said bridge member.
 2. A ball-pitching device, according to claim 1, wherein said ball holder is cup-shaped with said axis of said forwardly-facing recess inclined slightly upward from the perpendicular to said leaf spring.
 3. A ball-pitching device, according to claim 1, wherein said upper portions of said legs are disposed at obtuse angles to said lower portions of said legs.
 4. A ball-pitching device, according to claim 1, wherein there is provided a ball adapted to be received in said ball holder, a stake adapted to be driven into the ground of the playing area at a location spaced approximately midway between said supporting structure and the batter, and an elongated flexible cord member connected at one end to said ball and at its other end to said stake. 